


Barney's Ukulele

by BlueDreams



Category: Half-Life
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Music, Nostalgia, straightforward lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-23 01:37:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20884034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueDreams/pseuds/BlueDreams
Summary: Barney finds a ukulele during a squad scouting mission





	Barney's Ukulele

**Author's Note:**

> Very short request, but it was fun to do

The train stopped at a rural outpost where Barney and the rebels stepped out to investigate. The buildings were abandoned some time ago, fortunately with no Combine or alien life invading the village either. Barney took interest in a shop for instruments, domestic and foreign. The sight had him grinning as he saw a plethora of stringed, woodwind, and percussive types inside. While the building was chipped away by years of disuse, the store itself looked unchanged aside from them collecting dust.

Barney spent most of his free time playing guitar in his young adulthood before hell erupted on Earth. Guitar playing was his main refuge from daily routine, preferring songs that show off his confidence as a “cool dude” in his own terms. His goal of attracting would-be partners varied but he could play decently enough to get a kiss later on. His aspiration for his grunge/metal/techno duo with Gordon were cut short by unforeseen consequences, so his focus shifted to resistance.

Most of the stringed instruments were violins and cellos, with many guitars being taken or stolen. He wasn’t into “stuffy” music, so he browsed until he found something unusual. A ukulele all the way in Eastern Europe. Must’ve been a hell of a trade. Still it amused him and he grabbed it, arguing with the others it was small enough to not weigh him down.

It was similar to a guitar, but with a bigger emphasis on strumming. He was rusty after years of not playing and rebels stifled their laughter at his attempts. His death glare was not effective considering his jovial attitude, but they got the signal to let him practice in peace. Days went on as rebels covered their ears in anticipation each time Barney whipped it out, sometimes singing off-key to get his kicks from the others’ reactions. But ultimately he did it to feel happy again. 

He never thought about until now how deafening life was under the Combine. They didn’t even have an anthem or march song. It was so quiet. Playing again made him sentimental for life before the war. How carefree he was, how calm Gordon was, how bright eyed Alyx was. Still traces, but they just wouldn’t be the same. The music, no matter how sour, was giving him a semblance of the past. 

It wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on. It just wasn’t doing him any good to sulk. He quickly got out a tear when no one was looking and kept playing. He was getting better at the chord progression, still rusty, but more listenable.

He was growing more comfortable lugging the ukulele around, and his playing was more natural and thoughtful. It wouldn’t be uncommon to see him around others to play a ballad with comical or bawdy lyrics to lighten up spirits. It helped to solidify his charmer reputation among others as well. At this point he wondered if Gordon found an old keyboard, and he loved the idea of jamming with him again like in the good old days. But right now he didn’t mind being a singer-songwriter by himself to adoring fans.


End file.
